Customer Reviews

Welcome Back Mr. McDonald

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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I take most "quoted" reviews on DVD jackets with a huge grain of salt. Many of the reviewers are paid for their glowing review.

When I saw the "hilarious" on this one, I thought, "well, it probably has a couple chuckles".

Was I wrong! This movie is fall-off-the-couch funny!

I won't go into the details, since the other reviewers did. The film starts off slowly, but maintains your interest. Once the shenanigans begin, you're hooked! The film charges headlong from one ludicrous even to another, barely giving you a chance to catch your breath! The pace is breathtaking, but the filmmakers never stumble.

Not only is it side-splittingly funny, it is also charming, sweet, and completely devoid of any objectionable content. You can watch this one with your teenagers (mine loved it!).

Movies like this come along about once every 20 years. So, cherish this one.

It's a classic, and now one of my Desert Island DVDs (assuming the desert island has electricity!).

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I first saw this movie as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival a couple of years ago. It was one of those extremely rare experiences when EVERYBODY in the entire theatre was laughing at the SAME TIME and was completely captivated by the movie. This is a very charming and very, very funny film, and I've been looking for it on US video or DVD for years. Glad to be getting a copy to show to as many people as I can. Please take a chance and see this film.

The story concerns a late-night radio drama being put on according to the script written by a humble woman who'd won a radio script-writing contest (she was, it turns out, the only entrant). The actors assemble, the technicians are all set to mail the performance in, when things start to go askew. The lead actress suddenly decides that instead of playing a simple pachinco parlor attendant from Japan, she wants to play a high-powered American lawyer named Mary Jane. This angers the male co-star (who'd only been slated to play a simple fisherman), and more changes are made to placate him. These, in turn, lead to more changes. And more. And then the sponsor gets involved and more things change. And more. The results are unforgettable (and hilarious) as the cast and crew take the story farther and farther from the author's semiautobiographical script in the tension-filled live performance.

Stay tuned for the surprisingly satisfying conclusion.

Again, it's a very funny, very sweet film. Very well done. It's a shame more people didn't get to see it on it's limited US release.

Welcome Back Mr McDonald is a strong example of Japanese humor -- or, at least, the light side of it. Adult fans of Pokemon should feel fairly at home with this one.

The plot focuses on the production of a radio play, the grand prize in a radio station's contest seeking the best amateur-written play. However, complications begin as the lead actress decides she doesn't like her character's name. Her demand is the beginning of a series of changes to the play-within-a-movie that doesn't stop when the live performance begins.

Characterization is fairly simple and mostly is about furthering the plot -- the actors are mostly driven by their egos to rework the play to their advantage, the production crew is focused on making it all work, the contest winner wants to see her script (a transparent fantasy of how her life could have gone differently) fulfill her fantasy of meeting a man more exciting than her husband. Nevertheless, they hold to their assigned roles well and don't drift away from that characterization just to make a punchline.

The comedy is a mix of character conflict and physical comedy as members of the crew rush to adapt to the changes to the play (the Assistant Director ends up taking a crash course in old fashioned sfx). In both cases, timing is crucial and the cast manages to hit their marks every time. The race-against-the-clock aspect of this film reminded me of watching a live production of Noises Off -- a feeling this movie captured better than the film version of Noises Off.

A very funny Japanese comedy? How come no-one has heard of it? Why the stupid title? Why should I watch this? If you have seen Tampopo, you are pretty much guaranteed to enjoy this, as the two directors have very similar styles. It is just too bad that Itami killed himself a couple of years back. . .

Although Tampopo gets much more attention, this stands up against Juzo Itami's film in its own right. Featuring some of the same actors (look out for the truck driver from 'Tampopo'), this is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in Japanese cinema. It ranks with Mitani's best work, and is guaranteed to brighten up your day. Just read the other reviews, watch it, and prepare to become an apostle of a cinematic master.

One final question - why is Tampopo paired with 'Eat Drink Man Woman', when it should be paired with this infinitely superior film?????

Just fabulous - I watched Prarie Home companion few weeks back - that was also about a radio show and enjoyed it enormously - so I rented this DVD - did not know what to expect - but this is hilarious - more like Monty Python movies -


It shows the change in plot of a drama act written for radio (the poor authoress) as conducted by the crew member - specially people in USA will enjoy it more because the show is about Mrs Mary Jane and her German husband Heinrick and secret lover McDonald - some of the pronunciations are just funny - it is full with rockets , machine gun noises and what not - there is some very cool noise generation mechanism - great to see the mechanical devices people used before computer effects we easily available

Mitani's howlingly funny "McDonald" illustrates the principle of how a minute action can ignite a catastrophe: As script changes spiral out of control, Miyako's radio play morphs from an innocuously weepy marital drama into a risible outer-space adventure. Among a stupendous ensemble cast, Nishimura is especially good as the beleaguered, easily cowed producer who tussles with director Kudo (Toshiaki Karasawa), a young man with no illusions about the merits of his job. Mitani coordinates the on-air crises with goofy, refreshing brilliance--and with the appearance of an old sound-effects expert, adding a touch of nostalgia for the radio days of old.

From the very talented and funny director/writer Koki Mitani, comes this very funny film. "Welcome Back Mr. McDonald," [aka: "Rajio no jikan"] This is a very, very funny and intelligently well acted comedy. The comedies narrative follows the account of a live radio drama where hilarious chaos ensues when the script of the show is changed, much to the chagrin of the writer Miyako (Kyoko Suzuki). As the ONLY entrant of a writing contest, she must bear with all the changes to her script. And change is an understatement. I find myself laughing throughout the film whenever I view it. For anybody who believes that the Japanese do not have a sense of humor, or can laugh at themselves, then they need to see this film. Too many funny Japanese films have slipped below the radar here in the USA: Partly the fault of the titles given to these Japanese films, and the other being poor marketing of the films. If you can, get a hold of this film.

The film itself centers on a late-night radio drama that must bear with new changes being put into the program. The problems with the script begin with the demands of the lead actress of the radio drama Nokko (Keiko Toda) who demands that she no longer wants to portray a parlor attendant from Japan, but instead wants to be a powerful American lawyer from Chicago named Mary Jane. In turn, the lead male actor is also upset when he has been given the role of a fisherman. Therefore, more changes in the script are created in order to please him. Eventually more and more changes are made to the script. Moreover, the producer, who does not want to butt heads with the actors and their egos continually puts up with the chaos. I really like this film, as it is truly funny. This is not just a film for those who love Japanese cinema, but anyone who likes a good comedy.

Moreover, all of these changes are occurring as the live drama performance is going on. Truly funny! The frenetic pace of the crew behind the scenes having to adapt to the new and constantly changing scenes, and the confusion by the new scriptwriter, Miyako Suzuki (Kyoko Suzuki) are just hilarious. Plus ALL of the characters in the film are a delight to watch and are never over-the-top in their respective roles. This a hilariously funny film; and they all give stellar performances. I highly recommend the film. It is well worth the purchase, and much better than many stale American comedies. You will definitely laugh at this one. Highly recommended.